arjuna bark | cardiotonics

      Arjuna

arjuna-bark, cardiotonics

Biological source -:

Arjuna is the dried bark of terminalia Arjuna

Family -:

Combretaceae.

Geographical occurrence -:

The plant is a large deciduous tree, reaching a height of 60 to 80 feet. It grows throughout India.

Collection -:

The bark is collected mostly from wild trees by making suitable incisions and dried.

Characters -:

1.     Arjuna bark occurs as flat or curved pieces of various sizes.

2.     The outer surface is ash coloured and smooth the inner surface is reddish in colour and striated.

3.     It breaks with a fibrous fracture.

4.     No odour but taste is astringent.

Constituents -:

1.     Tannins, mainly pyrocatechol tannins.

2.     Arjunetin, a glycoside which on hydrolysis yields glucose and Arjunic acid.

3.     Arjunollic acid, a trieterpene-saponin (it is responsible for diuretic effect).

4.     Large quantities of calcium salts and traces of aluminium and magnesium salts.

Uses -:

1. As a cardiotonic. It has a beneficial effect in ischemic heart diseases. 2. As a diuretic (this effect is caused by saponin).

3. As an astringent and febrifuge,

Adulterant -:

 The dried bark of terminalia tomentosa is sometimes used as an adulterant of arjuna bark.